Any industry power with the Blue Oval’s dealer network and market share would be likely to enter a new sales niche about as gracefully as a hippopotamus vaulting into a bathtub, after all, and it could have a similar impact on those already enjoying those waters.

It is, in fact, the biggest-selling crossover SUV in the US, and it’s here as part of a multi-pronged attempt to retain customers who’ve been leaving the Ford fold as soon as they’ve had proper premium-brand cash to spend on a large family car.